Batman Arkham Knight: If You’re Not Careful You’ll Break Batman’s Code

ESRB has released content descriptors and a rating summary of the content of Batman Arkham Knight. Are you worried about the M rating? You might need to be worried about Bruce himself.

They have given the descriptors for blood, language, suggestive themes and violence. The rating summary is below.

This is an action-adventure game in which players primarily assume the role of Batman as he battles several villains spreading chaos across Gotham City. Players traverse a variety of locations around Gotham while battling thugs, examining crime scenes, and occasionally rescuing hostages. Players engage in melee-style combat using punches, kicks, and gadgets (e.g., batarangs, explosives). Enemies cry out in pain when struck, and some takedowns are highlighted by brief slow-motion effects and loud impact sounds. Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle’s wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence. Cutscenes depict characters getting shot (on and off camera) while restrained or unarmed. Large bloodstains/pools of blood appear in crime scenes and in the aftermath of violent acts; one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table. During the course of the game, players can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. Neon signs in a red-light district read “live nude girls” and “XXX.” The words “b*tch,” “gobsh*te,” and “a*s” appear in the dialogue.

It certainly doesn’t help that some scenes described by the ESRB obscure whether Bruce is doing it or not. So, just to rundown some of the things that may or may not be attributed to Batman:

·         Torturing an enemy with a vehicle’s wheels.

·         Characters shot on and off camera while unarmed or restrained.

·         A person torturing a character on a bloody operating table.

One scenario they did attribute to Batman directly, and it’s not pleasant. In playing through the game, the players can actually shoot hostages and unarmed characters. Now, we’re left wondering how this plays out. Is this a scenario where you could kill innocents if you make mistakes while making them? Or will you actually be placed in moral dilemmas where you’re forced to choose?

This makes it seem like Rocksteady’s sending mixed messages about their depiction of Batman in Arkham Knight. They added conceits that made it impossible for Bruce to run over criminals with his Batmobile, in keeping with his moral code. However, for some reason Rocksteady has included scenarios where Bruce could break said code. Did Rocksteady leave behind some nasty surprises for fans who want their Batman to stay a hero? Or are these contextless descriptions misleading? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released on June 2, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.